“The Story of Friends, Moodhu and Huni Roshi”

Let’s face it. Almost all our social gatherings, small and big, revolve around food. Not necessarily a bad thing, but in a world where we are all trying to be more active, we do need to look a bit further.

I’m lucky to have friends who can laugh at just about anything, or me. But the fantastic thing about them is that no situation prevents them from cooking up what really grabs their attention, or in this case, their noses.

Being stuck in Male’ city during Eid holidays, our grand plan to go swimming in Villingili in the morning, eventually got us in the sea in Hulhumale just before sunset, equipped with mangoes and salt. But it was upon coming out of the water that we were assaulted by the bewitching smell of fresh huni roshi. As most who have enjoyed the home made fresh coconut roti know, it is an aroma which clings to you.

Image by Adam Zubin

As you may have guessed, my friends and I were fully mobilized, adamant that huni roshi was the way to go, despite the sparsely equipped kitchen we found ourselves in. While a quick call got us the desiccated coconut, the corner shop provided the flour we needed. With some water and a pinch of salt, the dough for the huni roshi was ready. Don’t panic if you don’t have the gadgets for rolling out the roshi; a clean counter top and bottle can easily do the trick.

Baking (or is it roasting?) the roshi needs a bit more care, since you need to make sure it is cooked right through, flipping it over few times on a thavaa or frying pan to make sure it doesn’t burn. Some like their roshi soft and lightly browned, while others like it crispier. But most like it hot so it’s always best to first prepare the mashuni, kulhi or theluli rihaakuru, or curry, or even garudhiya, to go with it.

Huni roshi being versatile, it can be dessert too. Dipped in sticky dhiyaahakuru, it is the most scrumptious way to go for the sweet tooth.

So the moral of the story? Reward yourself with simple food after a daily attempt at an active lifestyle. And that good homemade huni roshi is pretty easy to make.